A number of devices and fasteners are currently available for fastening panels such as body panels and automobile interior trimpiece panels to the chassis of a vehicle. Fastener clips are used in automobile assemblies to secure body panels such as pillar covers, headliners, interior panels and the like to roofs, door structures and body pillars. As used herein, a body panel refers to, for example, any interior or exterior structure attached to a vehicle, such as a plastic or metal interior trim piece or any interior trimpiece. The body panel may be any suitable exterior body panel, such as a fender, bumper, quarter panel or door panel. The chassis of the vehicle may include any substrate, plate, body panel, structural framework, chassis component or subcomponent, support component, wall or any suitable object or combination.
Interior automobile fasteners, such as screws, are known to retain a body panel to a vehicle chassis. For example, a screw may attach a headliner in position within the automobile roof. However, many of these fasteners only fasten around the periphery of the headliner. While a dome light or the like may be located in the middle of the roof area, extensive expanses of the headliner are not supported or fastened by such structures. Also, these fasteners allow the headliner to sag, providing an aesthetically unacceptable appearance.
An automobile headliner is typically made of cloth, foam, plastic or other suitable material and generally includes a suitable substrate layer. A fastener clip may be secured to the substrate by an adhesive, such as glue, and is then attached to the underlying roof structure.
Attaching the headliner to the interior of the roof typically requires securing clips already fastened to a headliner assembly into a hole, slot or mounting point on the roof. At least some of the clips require blind insertion and installation of the fasteners because the installer is not able to view the fastener clip or the mounting point on the roof.
Fastener clips are also known for attaching body panels to an automobile chassis. Magnets may be used to reduce the problem of the blind fastener application. For example, fastener clips are known that attach to an automobile headliner or the like using adhesive, and which firmly connects to a magnet. Thus, magnetic fastening clips do not require aligning a fastener with a mating hole and attachment of the fastener to the hole.
Another known clip has a base, a dome spaced from the base and a plurality of supports between the base and the dome. A hollow post extends outwardly from the dome and includes at least one deflectable portion having an outward protuberance thereon. A pin is substantially aligned with the post and connected thereto by at least one frangible link. A frangible link between the pin and the clip is adapted to rupture when the pin is driven. However, since the pin requires alignment and insertion during manufacture, assembly is time consuming labor intensive and expensive.
These known clips however are neither sufficiently rugged nor flexible for example on an automobile assembly line that can be somewhat harsh. These fastening clips typically do not have a long useful life to support the headliner and prevent staking throughout the anticipated life expectancy of the vehicle. During installation the headliner can be moved, stretched or twisted inconsistently. Also, these fastening clips have a fixed engagement length between the chassis and body panel. However, the fastener device is typically required to secure the panel to the chassis that may have sheet metal with different amounts of curvature or thicknesses throughout. If the sheet metal varies in curvature or thickness or if for example, tolerances in production of the vehicle chassis or in the trim-piece, i.e. headliner exist, then engagement of one fastener to the roof may not provide suitable magnetic engagement or will otherwise result in movement. Further, less than all these fasteners typically make engagement with the chassis. Twisting of the body panel will be likely more prevalent because less than all contact points are actually made with the roof. As a result, sagging, wear, squeaks, rattles, buzzing, corrosion and loss of elasticity and loss of sealing may result, especially after years of vehicle operation and exposure to vibration and other environmental conditions. As such, these fastener clips do not provide sufficient flexibility.
Once installed, during use of the automobile, the headliner is sometimes contacted or pushed by passengers. The fastener device is typically required to secure the headliner under a variety of environmental conditions, such as in the presence of vibration at various levels of amplitude and frequency. Further, the fastener device should prevent or minimize the amount of buzzing, rattling or any other type of noise that may cause attention to the occupants of the vehicle or otherwise weaken the attachment. Further yet, another requirement of the fastener device is that the fastener device accommodates various levels of sheet metal curvature, thicknesses, and production tolerances, such as various dimensions amongst, for example, the body panels as well as the vehicle chassis. Conventional fastener devices typically do not adequately fasten to a range of sheet metal thicknesses and do not minimize or eliminate buzzing and rattling and do not sufficiently accommodate variations in production tolerances. As a result, these clips do not properly fasten the body panel to the chassis, break or otherwise fail under these conditions. If the fastener clip is broken after installation of the body panel, sagging can occur again presenting the aesthetically undesirable appearance. Further, replacement of an installed, broken clip can be difficult.